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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27048586">Sleepwalking</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ComicBooksBro/pseuds/ComicBooksBro'>ComicBooksBro</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Castiel and Dean Winchester Holding Hands, Comforting Castiel (Supernatural), Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, I cannot write long paragraphs y'all, Kinda, Lonely Castiel (Supernatural), M/M, Men of Letters Bunker (Supernatural), Pining Castiel (Supernatural), Sleepwalking, Worried Dean Winchester, no beta we die like men</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:46:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,169</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27048586</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ComicBooksBro/pseuds/ComicBooksBro</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas hadn't thought his death (and subsequent return from the empty) would have such an effect on Dean, and he certainly didn't think Dean would start to sleepwalk because of it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel/Dean Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>153</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>The AO3 SPN Kink Meme</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sleepwalking</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">



        <li>In response to a prompt by
            Anonymous in the <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/collections/theao3spnkinkmeme">theao3spnkinkmeme</a>
          collection.
        </li>
    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>(Please de-anon me, thanks!) </p><p>Okay, so, yeah. This. It's not as long as I'd like it to be, but here ya go. I hope you like it :)</p><p> </p><p>  <strong>Prompt:</strong></p><p> </p><p>Since Castiel returned from the Empty, he's discovered Dean has a new quirk: Dean sleepwalks. Namely, he sleepwalks to wherever Castiel is, finds him, and stares at him blankly. Castiel finds it more curious than disconcerting, but he quickly falls into the habit of taking Dean by the hand and guiding him back to his bedroom, where Dean will quietly go back to bed. Sometimes, Dean talks in his sleep. Sometimes, Dean hugs Castiel in his sleep. Mostly, though, he just seems to want to know where Castiel is. Hoping to quietly let this trauma response pass, Castiel never bothers to bring any of it up to Dean during the day.</p><p>Then, one night, Dean comes to him and Castiel takes him by the hand and leads him back to bed, only to realize Dean was awake this time.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cas sat at one of the tables in the library, idly flipping through a lore book. Several more books were stacked around him, all in various states of being read. He hummed tunelessly and checked a clock that hung on the wall. It was late enough that everyone else was asleep, and would (or should) be for some time.</p><p>Emphasis on <em>should.</em> Winchesters proved to be quite the insomniacs, and rightly so, considering everything they’d been through. The idea of a full night of sleep seemed foreign to them, but Cas would be a hypocrite if he commented on it, after all: he didn’t sleep.</p><p>A door creaked open somewhere down the hall, prompting Cas to look up.</p><p>“Cas?” Dean mumbled, half walking, half stumbling his way into the library. “Cas? Where are—“ he stopped suddenly and looked around, forehead pinching up in worry.</p><p>“Dean, are you okay?” Abandoning his book, Castiel stood and quickly walked over to Dean. <em>Oh,</em> Cas realized, <em>he’s sleepwalking. </em></p><p>Cas had witnessed Dean's nightmares several times before, but this was different. He had never known Dean to walk to what was causing him fear or stress. A pang of guilt settled in Cas' chest when he realized that <em>he </em>was the source of Dean's worry. </p><p>“Cas!” Dean smiled and stepped forward until he was almost nose-to-nose with Castiel. Cas almost stepped back, but managed to stop himself. Reaching out, he gently grabbed Dean’s hand and tugged him back to his room. Surprisingly, Dean allowed himself to be lead easily. He squeezed Castiel’s hand a few times as they walked, like he was making sure Cas was still there.</p><p>He went just as easily into bed, and Cas smiled slightly at the happy sigh Dean made when the covers were pulled up around him. He watched Dean for a couple more minutes, just to make sure he was asleep, then left.</p><p>Dean slept soundly for the rest of the night.</p><p>***</p><p>Castiel had elected not to bring the previous night up to Dean when he woke the next morning, believing it to be a one time thing.</p><p>It was not, in fact, a one time thing.</p><p>Castiel was in the kitchen the second time it happened. He wasn’t there for any particular reason, just that he didn’t want to leave the bunker, and the library had gotten boring. A jar of peanut butter rested mockingly on the counter, daring him to try it.</p><p><em>Stupid molecules,</em> he thought, shoving the peanut butter into the fridge. He heard a noise from behind him—footsteps—and turned around, expecting Sam, who was on a hunt with Eileen and should be home soon. Instead, he was greeted with a very worried, very asleep Dean.</p><p>“Dean?”</p><p>There was an unintelligible mumble from Dean as he walked forward on socked feet and wrapped Cas in a warm hug. Cas tentatively hugged back, and Dean relaxed into his hold.</p><p>“You’re okay,” he mumbled, slurring all the words together.</p><p>“And you should be in bed,” Cas muttered, grabbing one of Dean’s hands and pulling him in the direction of his room. Dean huffed out a hard breath and made a put-out face, but followed Cas and allowed himself to be put to bed.</p><p>It took a moment, but Cas managed to work his hand out of Dean’s vice-like grip and leave, resisting the urge to press a kiss to Dean’s forehead.</p><p>***</p><p>4:35, Thursday morning. Cas sighed and flipped through a worn paperback, weary of the darkness and quiet. It wasn’t that he didn’t like being alone during the night. He could always sleep if he really wanted to—or do something similar, real sleep wasn’t make for angels—but the idea of ‘sleeping’ in his bare room was rather unpleasant. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate his room, it was just so... empty. Dean had suggested he decorate it in order to make himself more at home, but Cas didn’t see the point if he didn’t need sleep.</p><p>It was an ongoing thing between them.</p><p>He was dragged out of his thoughts by Dean—who was walking incredibly sure-footedly for being asleep—showing up at the head of the table. He was quiet in a way that would have almost eerie if it was anyone else, but it was nicer than the sad, almost desperate pleas from the first few nights. The more Cas thought about it, Dean didn’t seem worried so much lately, but lonely.</p><p>The next night Dean stumbled into the kitchen and just stood, without making a sound, until Cas took his hand and lead him back to bed.</p><p>He easily pushed Dean back into bed and covered him with blankets. Dean mumbled something that sounded vaguely like ‘thank you,’ and rolled over. Cas let his fingers skim over the spikes in Dean’s slightly damp hair, and quietly left.</p><p>***</p><p>Cas was stretched across one of the larger, more comfortable chairs in the library, halfway to dozing. Angels couldn’t really sleep, but he was relaxed enough to let his mind drift into an almost unconscious state.</p><p>Soon he heard the now-familiar sound of Dean’s bedroom door clicking open, sat up, and stretched. Dean emerged into the library a moment later, and quickly found his way to Cas.</p><p>Cas reached out and grasped Dean’s hand, then let Dean pull him along until they reached he room.</p><p>Sometimes Dean would talk, or Cas would whisper assurances to him if he looked worried, but tonight they were both silent. Dean’s shoulders were tensed in a way they hadn’t been the past few nights, and Cas wondered why he was worried, but still didn’t say anything. He just let Dean lead them to his room, occasionally brushing the pad of his thumb over Dean’s knuckles.</p><p>Soon they reached Dean’s room; the hunter let go of his hand, and turned to face Cas. Sometimes Cas wondered what would happen if he didn’t let go, if he laid down and stayed with Dean. It was a nice idea, but never one that would come to fruition.</p><p>“Goodnight, Dean.” Cas murmured, brushing his hand over Dean’s stubbled cheek, eyes skipping over the freckles that dusted his cheeks, and his green eyes—</p><p>His very <em>alert,</em> very <em>awake</em> green eyes.</p><p>Words freezing in his chest, Cas lowered his hand and stepped back.</p><p>“Hey, Cas,” Dean said quietly, a small smile on his face.</p><p>“Dean.” Cas took a step back, out of Dean’s space, then another—just to be safe. “How long were you awake?”</p><p>“Tonight? The whole time.” Dean took a step closer to Cas. “Before? I’ve woken up a few times as you were leaving—thought I was dreaming at first, actually...” He trailed off, gaze fixed on the floor, and took a deep breath. “I thought about asking you to stay a few times, but you were gone before I could get up.”</p><p>“I’m here now,” Cas said, hardly daring to breathe.</p><p>“Stay?” Dean asked, holding out a hand.</p><p>Cas took it. “Gladly.”</p><p>***</p><p>Dean didn’t sleepwalk that night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading, comments and kudos appreciated!</p><p>&lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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